Survival mode. When you hear this term used in reference to personal finance, it means that a person of family is on the edge of financial disaster. When a person or family is operating in financial survival mode, stress levels escalate. Their thoughts become predominated with how they are going to get the food, gas, rent and other necessities that they need when they need them or how they will do without until they can get them.
Survival mode is no fun for anyone. If parents are stressed out about money, their children feel the effects because they are less emotionally available due to the fact that their energy is tied up in worrying about keeping food on the table and a roof over their head. How, then, can individuals and families break out of survival mode when there is no financial miracle in sight?
Although you will still have to think about and plan for financial items of business, it is possible to shift your thinking so that even though your circumstances are uncomfortable, their effect on you is decreased. Begin by assessing the facts of your situation. Is it really as bad as you think it is? What exactly is going on? How did it happen? Getting a clear factual picture of what is going on with your finances will make decision making simpler, especially if you can think about your feelings about your financial situation separately from the facts.
Do not ignore the feelings, examine them. If you are panicked, think about why. Think about whether the thoughts that you have been thinking have made your situation any better. It is likely that the additional time that you have spent worrying about finances above and beyond the time it took to make actual necessary financial decisions has not gotten you anywhere but more upset or depressed. Your circumstances demand some attention, but you do not have to allow them to monopolize all of your physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. Focusing on pulling yourself and your family together to get through the tough times can provide comfort in knowing that love can thrive under the most trying of conditions. There are other things that you can do, too. Talking to each other, reaching out for help from others as a family, brainstorming options, and taking care of your own well being as well as each other’s all go a long way towards getting through trying times together.
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